Hmm it seems hot deserts hold the greatest things. Las Vegas will soon no longer have the largest hotel, with over 6000 rooms. I wonder how this will play out during the next hajj. Will the people love Abraj Kudai or hate it because of its expensiveness?

The problems with primate cities are hardly unique to London (see here resources for teaching about primate cities using the example of Mexico City). The lack of a balanced urban hierarchy that we would see in countries where the rank-size rule applies is a political problem as stated in this NPR podcast. This additional BBC article bemoans Britain’s lack of a true second city, arguing that London’s shadow looms too large for sustained national development outside of the primate city.

I remember seeing a road map of the United Kingdom once and wondering why almost every single road eventually seemed to make its way to the massive urban sprawl of London in the country's southeast. Even cities as far away as Inverness in Scotland or Belfast in Northern Ireland seemed to inevitably revolve around the massive capital. Having such a dominance on the country, I can see why other distant communities are gradually losing interest in the political and economic influences London still has on them, especially if other closer urban centers are greatly growing in population and influence. The recent election for Scotland's independence from England shows that even today many people are looking to branch out away from London's reach, and that these reasons are perhaps not totally influenced by historic tensions and rivalries between the two places. Populations centers like Birmingham and Manchester have grown immensely in the last decade, and with that has came a growing independent sense of culture and identity as well. Residents in smaller towns and villages feel that these other closer urban areas would be a better representative of them in country-wide politics than distant London. Some of these distant communities are nearly 500 miles away from London. That is like Detroit, Michigan being politically and economically dominated by New York City. Even with London being massive in size and influential reach, I can see why far away towns in the U.K. don't always consider London too important.

These maps help show different patterns in the United States throughout different periods of American history such as during the Civil War, the locations of the first railroads, difference in the North and South, and also mapping the constitutional convention. it really help put it all in a geographical perspective.

This helps create a focus on the movement of people, the "whys" of history, and the different political states and counties we have made over the years.

Use of geospatial technologies, such as GIS, remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS), and online maps-

This article explains how GIS can be used multiple ways, whether it be in location, past, present, or predictions on the future. These GIS examples show how the American Civil War and many other things would have been seen as.

This article demonstrates the use of geospatial technologies by showing how American history would be like if represented by GIS.

Space in a home matters, but the functionality of that space is critical. Geography is about spatial thinking, and this video promotes a different type of spatial thinking, but one that still will help geographic thought. As our metropolitan areas get more and more crowded, planning of this type might become increasingly common. What advantages to you see in interior design that seek s to maximize space? What are some drawbacks to a design such as this?

With an ever-growing urban population spatial design is important in maintaining functionality, efficiency and orderliness. The apartment building in Paris is especially interesting. It is practical and functions well enough to where a person can live comfortably in a markedly small but efficient space.

Space in a home matters, but the functionality of that space is critical. Geography is about spatial thinking, and this video promotes a different type of spatial thinking, but one that still will help geographic thought. As our metropolitan areas get more and more crowded, planning of this type might become increasingly common. What advantages to you see in interior design that seek s to maximize space? What are some drawbacks to a design such as this?

With an ever-growing urban population spatial design is important in maintaining functionality, efficiency and orderliness. The apartment building in Paris is especially interesting. It is practical and functions well enough to where a person can live comfortably in a markedly small but efficient space.

A great primer for discussions over border disputes. In this modern geopolitical climate, some of these claims can seem aggressive to say the least. The strategies/responses can also be very interesting when military options are put aside.

I was looking at the disputes between the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and the Scarborough Shoal. What I notices with all oft he disputes, the land being fought over is all claimed by China but the land location itself is all closer to the country china is disputing it over. For the Paracel Islands, China and Vietnam are in dispute especially after China put 2 oil rigs by their land. The other dispute between the Spratly Islands, China and the Philippines each claim entire ownership of the lands but Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei all claim some part of the islands as well. For the Scarborough Shoal, it is a lot closer to the Philippines than it is to China but China claims it as their own since they discovered the land. Now china has restricted access to the island following a standoff.

"The Sahel’s ability to produce food is not keeping pace with its growing population, and global warming will only exacerbate the imbalance, according to a new study. Among the 22 countries making up the arid region in northern Africa, the population grew to 471 million in 2010 from 367 million in 2000, a jump of nearly 30%. As the population grew rapidly, the production of crops remained essentially unchanged. Using satellite images to calculate annual crop production in the conflict-ridden Sahel belt, south of the Sahara desert, the researchers then compared output with population growth and food and fuel consumption."

Several factors are posing a threat to life in the Sahel. The growing population is outpacing their food sources, and political instability and environmental change are adding to the tension. This region is home to not only the poorest nations but to some of the fastest growing populations in the world. While the situation in the region is certainly a problem, it shows that it will likely only get worse over time as the population continues to grow and food gets more scarce.

With the world population growing at a rapid rate, what will the food supply of some of these under developed countries look like when the expected population rate to hit 1 billion by 2050? In the Sahel, how are people going to use a desert like environment to produce crops that will feed its growing population? Its seems as if their problem is growing a rate faster than they can resolve.Will food plants be the new thing in their future?

The Sahel region separates the North Africa Sahara and South African regions. The Sahel is ravaged by conflict and will soon face food shortages with it growing population. From 2000 to 2010 the population increased 30%. The rate of food production in the Sahel is below their population production and mixed in with global warming there will be problems. Global warming will lead to a reduced harvest with higher air pressure. Conflict is all over the Sahel in Sudan, Libya, Chad and Niger. Violence is likely to also grow as food supplies shrink. To go along with food shortages, this region hold some of the world’s fastest growing populations. Niger is the world’s poorest country and also has the highest birthrate, followed by Mali.

This is an incredibly limited mapping platform, but if all you want to do is put states of the United States into two simple categories (such as 'states I have visited' and 'states I have not visited'), then this works.

I haven't been to a lot of United States. I have been to Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina & South Carolina. As we can see, I pretty much know New England pretty well. I would however, like to travel throughout the west side of the United States.

50 years of communist rule still affect opportunities in Germany today, as these maps show. What they don't show is the social mirror that each provides to the other and the rich discussions about social policy that result. Reunification has been an expensive exercise for Germany, however one that it is committed to.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but its influence is still present in today's Germany. History plays a key role in the shaping of political boundaries and that history is clearly evident in Germany. The line where the Berlin wall once stood still divides the country economically. The western part of Germany is far more economically affluent than the east. The USSR may be gone, but its influence still remains.

This shows that mmcdonals is a global industy . there are many mcdonalds everywhere they put a spin oncertain diishes to match their heritage like in japan instead of hamburger meat like we americans use the use crabs.It just really shows how far mcdonalds was changed from just starting in america to being featured all over the globe

I've lived and traveled to a few places especially Asia. I've had the Ramen at McD's in Hawaii along with the Portugeuse sausage that comes with the big breakfast. I've also experienced Japanese McD's. It was nice to be able to find some of the regular food like a burger and fry at any McD's in the world, but I never ordered anything else.

Interactives: War and Refugees

UNHCR has been attempting to count the world's refugees since it was created. If you want to find out which years resulted in the worst displacement, which were the biggest countries of origin and which were the biggest countries of asylum, use the interactive map.

This article features an interactive map that displays the numbers of IDPs (internally displaced persons) made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. You are able to look through the years and see the varying amounts of IDPs, as well as the countries that produced the most of them and which continue to.

This goes along with the human geography theme of refugees and IDPs, and this is a very helpful article in providing a simple way to see an overview of where and to what extent this most occurs.

It is often noted that the cultural composition of the United States is undergoing a shift, referred to by some as the "Browning of America." The story of Asian and Hispanic growth in the United States are occurring simultaneously, which makes many assume that they are growing for the same reasons. The data clearly shows that this is not the case.

A very interesting fact, because I thought that Hispanic race had grown rather than Asian race in the last few years but I see that not. Another thing that caught my attention was that the Hispanic population has growth due to the Hispanic birth here in U.S and not because they immigrate to U.S. But in the case of the growth of the Asian population, is because they immigrate. I didn't know that, now I am more informed.

If a language dies, an entire culture dies. Every year more and more languages and threatened and it gets worse as more people try to keep up with the demand of globalization. "Mexico isn't the only country losing its voices: If nothing is done, about half of the 6,000-plus languages spoken today will disappear by the end of this century." Endangered Languages are going to be all the more common.

In Indonesia, efforts are underway to grow palms in a sustainable way. But that's putting a squeeze on small farmers.

Palm oil is in everything, from pizza dough and chocolate to laundry detergent and lipstick. Nongovernmental organizations blame it for contributing to assorted evils, from global warming to human rights abuses. But in the past year, this complex global industry has changed, as consumers put pressure on producers to show that they're not destroying forests, killing rare animals, grabbing land or exploiting workers.

Will they also stop using Glyphosate to kill the old trees in order to plant new ones? Or use Glyphosate to keep the grass from growing in their fields? Sometimes the changes are more on the marketing side, than the actual day-to-day practices.

"In 2013, China replaced Mexico as the top sending country for immigrants to the United States. This followed a decade where immigration from China and India increased while immigration from Mexico decreased."

The racial and ethnic composition of immigration flows to the United States has been changing over the past few years. In 2000, almost half (41.2%) of all foreign-born immigrants were Hispanic, compared with 23.6 percent for the non-Hispanic Asian population. Since 2009 there has been a change making Asians 34.7% and Hispanics 30.1%. now it has changed even more with Asians 40.2%and Hispanics 25.5%.

I think the tables are turning for immigrants into the United States because Asians can see the opportunities over here and many come here for college because they have a more likely chance of being accepted.

Showing the different numbers of refugees have changed over time and what country they are from. As of now, Mexico is not the leading country that produces refugees in the US, its china. People have now migrated due to different economic patterns, and as economies change so do the refugees.

Push and pull factors, and migration in relation to employment and quality of life-

This article explains how China in 2013 had more immigrants going to the US than Mexico. The reasons why were because of jobs and better life styles in the US.

This article represents push and pull factors, and migration in relation to employment and quality of life by showing why china had more immigrants going to the US because of job opportunities and better life styles.

After studying this comparison tool and using it to find the best of the best and worst of the worst, I picked out some highlights I'd like to share. Monaco is clearly the place to be born, earn, and live. When compared to the USA, the infant mortality rate is 71% less, the life expectancy is 10 years longer @ 84, and you'll earn 62% more money, no doubt because you have ten more years in which to do so. I believe the stats may be skewed a bit in this country comparison as the very rich live there and they have access to the best medical care, and probably don't have very many infants with them when they make the move from elsewhere, hence the low infant mortality rate. Austria is not a bad second choice as you are 33% less likely to be unemployed. On a sobering note, the life expectancy if you live in Namibia is only 52! Yikes, I'm already 53... It's far worse however in Swaziland. The life expectancy is sadly only 50.5 years and you are 44 times more likely to have AIDS than if you lived here. 26.5% of the population has AIDS! Be thankful for where you live and stop complaining, it's far worse on average in nearly all other countries.

Did you know that with 1/30th the territory of the United States, Norway still has over 25% more coastline? I didn't either until I compared Norway to the United States using My Life Elsewhere. This site is designed allow United States students to imagine how their lives might be different if they were born in a different part of the world. Students would probably die 21 years earlier if they were born in Liberia and 11 times more likely to have died in infancy. Students would be 43.8% less likely to grow up and be unemployed and have 36.3% less babies if they were born in Taiwan. This side-by-side format is a great way to help students help make these statistics real and meaningful. One major drawback: this site only allows users to compare a country to the United States. If you prefer to have students compare, say Cuba to the United Arab Emirates, I would recommend that you try If It Where My Home.

I thought that this game was really useful for getting to know all different aspects of Europe. I really like how it was separated into a variety of different categories that focused on different things in Europe. Of course I was familiar with the countries category. Some things that I was not familiar with before finding this game was all the bodies of water in Europe. I am now aware of the different lakes, seas, and rivers in Europe. I thought it was really cool how it went into some real detail and included aspects like the ports, volcanoes, monarchies, and the battles. I definitely was not aware with any of these before seeing this game. I think this is a very useful game if you wish to know more about Europe or maybe even if you're traveling there and want to get some background knowledge.

An absolutely great and fun way to learn and explore different geographic locations. Anytime learning can be made fun or turned into a game is always a win-win. I found myself screwing around with these mini games and before I knew it, 45 minutes had passed, and I was not as good at Geography as I thought I was. I will be back to play/learn more!

This is an interesting way to learn geography in a more interactive way. This link provides many different games that allow you to not only play a game but learn while you do it! These games can test capitals, rivers, monarchies, countries, regions, peninsulas, battles, etc. All of these relate to Europe and can provide different learning techniques for anyone who is interested in them.

"In 2001 the world began talking about the Bric countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - as potential powerhouses of the world economy. The term was coined by economist Jim O'Neill, who has now identified the 'MINT' countries - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey - as emerging economic giants. Here he explains why."

The next generation will come with more country's developments and those could be the MINT countries which are, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey, their economy are increasing and are far more bigger than what it was in the 2003. That would be awesome to see all those countries with a developed economy. That will improve the lives of millions and specially Mexicans! Can't wait to see how it will turn out.

Mexico, along with the other countries in the MINT category, are developing countries that could one day become economic powerhouses. Mexico, as noted in the article, is in a strong position to become an economic powerhouse, due to the fact that it is in between the United States and the developing countries to its south. Mexico does face a battle however, as the country has been dominated by corruption for decades, yet the new president, who is young and energetic, is attempting to reform the system and put an end to the wide spread problem. If Mexico can become a major economic powerhouse, it along with Canada and the United States, could from a strong North American Trio, originally envisioned when the NAFTA was signed into law, back in the 1990s.

The MINT countries aren't that surprising. After China purchased some of the US debt, it really opened my eyes to who the new powerhouse is. Mexico could certainly be another powerful country if they could get their act together. It will be interesting to see the shifts taking place in the next 20 years.

This article talks about how where we live can influence our religion. I couldn't agree more. Although I have been an active member of a church for a long time now I can't help but think that if I didn't live in the US I wouldn't be a Christian. If I were born in China for example I may not even know the name Jesus Christ. That's a scary thought.

Here is another example of a relatively small body of water that has multiple countries disputing over it. Of course this is mainly due to the natural resources that lie under the Caspian Sea. And again Russia is in the middle of another situation that has to deal with a small part of the world. I find it fascinating what countries will do for otherwise meaningless areas of the world.

This video does a great job depicting how neighbors complicate a situation anytime oil is involved. As mentioned in class, these borders did not always exist. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was just the SU and Iran who had to fight over the Caspian. Now there are 5 neighbors with conflicting ideas. Agreeing over oil would never be easy . However at least, Iran and Russia seem to be on the same page when it comes to keeping the project and the oil away from European benefit. With just those two as neighbor, a deal might have been possible due to there slightly common interests. Now though, I think there are too many competing ideas. So any headway on a deal will be next to impossible.

I wouldn't be surprised if Russia took over Azerbaijan (or tries to take over the country) in the future. Since the lines were re-drawn, Azerbaijan has made out pretty well because they have all of the drilling tools and money that comes with it. When someone figures out how to move the oil of the Caspian, Russia is going to want the old equipment of theirs back. Furthermore, Azerbaijan was one of the countries who wanted to use the oil to benefit Europe according to this video. As mentioned in class,when the Ukraine thought about selling oil to Europe, Russia was none to pleased. In fact, oil was a major reason for why Russia invaded in the first place. Plus, with one less annoying neighbor, Russia would be closer to the oil in their hands.

Given the complications of excess and unagreeable neighbors, Azerbaijan might want to invest a little more in its defense budget and a little less on the extravagant buildings they keep making.

Having one body of water this size, with these resources, surrounded by five countries is a difficult situation, but also a very important one. These natural resources could help the entire world, bringing down costs of oil and gas, and boosting the economies of not only thse five countries, but probably any countries who buy from them as well. However, having the five countries, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, surround a sea of this much importance can be concerning. Despite the fact that this will make them all much wealthier than they already are, or maybe aren't, it will also mean that they can communicate and agree and make decisions as neighboring countries, not as opposing countries that were once part of the S.U. To be able to come to an agreement on an issue this size could mean easier business later on in time.

This passage was about the immigration that are coming into Europe. It helped me learn how they get to there destination and the struggles they go through. This scoop also showed me thew amount of money a immigrant would have to spend in or for them to get to their destination. By it showing us statistics i can get a better understanding. Also, the statistics about the amount of immigrants that don't get to even make it to their destination and what they can and cannot bring with them.

Due to the vast distances and irregular manner of transportation to Europe, prices are very high with transport between northern Africa and southern Europe often costing more than 1000 dollars. Even traveling from Greece to Italy can cost up to 6000 dollars. Despite the high price to "guarantee access", the journey is still dangerous with 500 deaths over a two month period in 2013. This interactive shows that even though 35,000 seems like a lot of people to arrive in Europe in 2013, it is a very long, difficult, and expensive journey to get there.

Geography Soup is a Vimeo channel designed to include interesting videos that are laden with geographic content in them. This powerpoint slideshow has resources designed to help you get the most flavor and substance out of these (and any other) video resources. This is especially great for K-12 students, physical and regional geography.

The reason this article and maps are so important is because it shows that immigration isn't a new aspect of the American way of life. Historically people from across the globe flocked to America from Europe and Asia and today we're seeing increasing immigration from Central and South Americans as well as those fleeing unstable areas in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

This article was very interesting to look at. I had knowledge that the majority of the immigrant population came from Mexico but it gave a different perspective to see it on a map. The one aspect that caught my attention was how the map of the United States looked like in 1910. The majority of the immigrants back then came from Europe, mainly Germany. Germany was the top country birth among U.S. immigrants because it was very dominating.

Many people in 2015 feel that immigration-reform is an absolute must for America. They usually use words like, "illegal", "terrorists", or "welfare-recipients" to try and scare the rest of the country into thinking immigration has spiraled out of control. Immigration definitely has a different make-up from a hundred years ago, but that doesn't equate to it being a problem.

An article like this puts much into perspective. What most naive and ignorant immigration-reformers might not now before reading this article is that the proportion of our current population has a fewer percentage of immigrants than back in 1910. This fact is totally opposite from the picture that some critics try to draw, essentially, comparing immigration to millions of fire-ants invading our country.

Most immigrants now come from Latin America, whereas, in 1910 they came from Germany. By reading the article, common sense will tell you that there might be more of a "racism" problem than an "immigration" problem in America.

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